Freshmen housing, possible tuition increase on tap for University of Houston regents Thursday

University of Houston president Renu Khator speaks to graduate students in the College of Optometry, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Houston.

University of Houston president Renu Khator speaks to graduate...

The University of Houston thinks more freshmen will want to live on campus in future years – and on Thursday, regents will hear a presentation on dorm renovation and construction.

Richard Walker, UH's vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment, told the Chronicle in January that UH wants to raise the percentage of new-in-college freshmen who live on campus to 60 percent. About half do so today, he said.

The university says demand is up for housing. Enrollment at UH has grown about 30 percent since fall 2007, though about a quarter of credit hours are now taken online, according to a fall presentation from UH President Renu Khator.

Development off-campus has eased some pressure on on-campus housing, according to the presentation. UH has argued previously that if students live on campus, they are more likely to earn better grades.

Also on the agenda Thursday:

Medical school: Regents will consider the approval of a doctoral degree in medicine as UH seeks to establish a medical school by 2020.

After, UH will need to turn outward for approval. The state’s higher education coordinating board and accreditors need to sign off, and state lawmakers must agree to give $40 million in support in the next legislative session. UH also needs support from donors.

Tuition and fees: UH plans to ask regents to raise undergraduate tuition 3.5 percent for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years. Texas Tech University, Texas State University and Texas A&M University increased tuition between 2.8 percent and 4.3 percent for those years, according to a UH document.

A presentation to regents says UH believes the increase is necessary to better support students en route to graduation and says that the state gives less money per credit hour today than it did in 2011, adjusted by the consumer price index.

UH indicates in the presentation that it will guarantee free tuition and fees for in-state students whose parents’ incomes total $50,000 or less, up from the current $45,000. Now, 832 students participate in the program.

The University of Houston Clear Lake, University of Houston Downtown and the University of Houston Victoria would see tuition increases of between 4.3 percent and 4.5 percent over the two years.

Sexual misconduct: Regents will consider a system-wide sexual misconduct policy. Documents connected to that change were not immediately available before the meeting.

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